Wish List!

Now that I've been settling in to my site and really starting to miss the comforts of America, I've decided to create a Wishlist of special things that would really make life in Namibia even better!  Please realize, that letters and cards are so much appreciated.  In fact, I have already started decorating the bare mud walls of my hut with cards I've received and inspirational quotes.

Anyway, here is a list of items that I will not easily find, if ever, in the Caprivi Region of Namibia.

Crystal Light Packets
Starbucks Via Instant Coffee Packets
Taco Seasoning
Brownie Mix
Dried Fruit (like Craisins)
Almonds/Pistachios
Soy sauce (anytime you get Chinese takeout save the little packets!)
Markers (for learners)
Dry erase markers (for me)
Stickers (for learners) :-)
Nail polish
Magazines

Thats really all I can think of right now!  I've posted my address previously, but just in case:
Lindsay O'Dell, Peace Corps Volunteer
PO Box 2236 Ngweze
Katima Mulilo
Namibia

If you ever send anything, it is never necessary to pay for Express Mail. Regular parcel or flat rate boxes seem to be the least expensive!

The Real Beginning

Looks like I'm just going to make my one post a month minimum.  Although, I am slightly cheating because this is an email that I sent out to a few folks earlier this week.  :o)

The Real Beginning

Thankfully, PST has come and gone and will never be back again! I am so thankful to have this training portion of Peace Corps Service over!  I do miss seeing my friends on a daily basis; but we will soon be reunited at the beginning of December for our ReConnect conference in Windhoek.  The last week or so of training was incredibly hectic, saying goodbye to the host families, spending time with the other trainees, studying for my Silozi (language) exam, packing up all my supplies and mentally preparing to adjust (again) to a new living environment. 

Lindsay, Celme, Rosemary(Language Teacher), Janine, Matt

"The Caprivians"

The swearing in ceremony was held in the town of Okahandja. It was held at the conference center/hostel where we stayed for a few nights when we first arrived in Namibia back in July!  The Country Director, Gilbert Collins, the Deputy US Ambassador, and Namibian Education officials were in attendance.  A youth choir sang some African songs and we sang some songs we had been practicing.  I actually tried to record the singing and also all the volunteers as a group saying our oath.  I hope when I am able to access fast Internet I will be able to upload those videos to you tube.  Overall, it was a special day, although I did not have much time to reflect on the magnitude of what it means to now be a real Peace Corps Volunteer.  The ceremony ended with a light reception, many brief goodbyes, and Matt, Janine, Celme and myself loaded up the combie  (15 passenger van) with all our belongings for two years and set off for the North.  The principals from our respective schools made the journey to attend the ceremony and were driving us to Caprivi!  To give you an idea of the size of Namibia, I’m now as far from Windhoek (the capital) as I was from Port Huron while I was living in North Carolina.  We were squeezed into the combie with very little air conditioning, but it gave us a taste of what traveling throughout Namibia is like.  There are really no buses, just public transport combies that drive from city to city.  Luckily, we did not make the journey in one day.  Peace Corps paid for us to stay in a nice lodge in Rundu, one of the major cities in the North.  Here is an excerpt of what I wrote that first night in Rundu!

         September 20, 2012

Sitting at a lodge in Rundu with the Kavongo River and Angola outside the front door.  Reflecting on the special occasion of Sept. 20.  A date with relevancy equivalent to that of my birthday.  I feel really really really proud of myself today!!  A “no- frills” ceremony had plenty of meaning behind it.  Things came full circle when my Country Director read a poem about Peace Corps service written (by chance) by my recruiter, Meliah.  I feel a lot of anticipation and wonder of what the next 2 years will be and who I will become.  A few volunteers who are closing their service at the end of this year were in attendance.  I wonder what I will feel like when it’s my turn to watch a new batch of volunteers being sworn in.  I am part of a small and unique population of Americans; I feel pretty special.

The second part of our journey began on Friday morning.  We headed to Katima Mulilo.  This is the major city of my region, Caprivi.  Celme is the volunteer who will be living in town because her school is located on the outskirts.  Since the region is fairly small is area, many people commute to and from Katima everyday.  For instance, my principal and his family live in town but have a farm and cattle in the village areas.  My school is a village school with grades k-10, one class of each grade.   If learners pass Grade 10 they may continue on to grades 11 & 12, but would have to pay school fees to go and live at a senior secondary school in a hostel.

Anyway, all four of us stayed the weekend in Katima and did some shopping, cooking, and resting.  Celme’s house has been deemed “the palace”.  It is a huge compound set up like an apartment with 4 bedrooms and very large common rooms: kitchen, living room, laundry, and courtyard.  This house is owned by the Ministry of Education and her principal arranged for her to stay there.  Right now there are two VSO volunteers living there who also work for the Ministry.  Monica is from Uganda and is working in HIV/AIDS education and Joseph is teaching Technology and is from Kenya.  However, they will not be there for too much longer because VSO (volunteer service organization) is pulling out of Namibia next year because the World Bank has classified Namibia as a middle-income country; although, the disparity of wealth in Namibia is the highest in the world.  So go figure.  Anyway, Celme’s house will be a great place to crash on weekends and holidays when I need a dose of “town life.”   Also, many other volunteers throughout Namibia will come through Katima on the way to Victoria Falls.  We are approximately 2 hours away.

I, on the other hand, am living “hut life.” I’ve already posted on my blog the picture of my soon to be hut.  Right now I am living in a nearby hut with a tin roof.  I have a host family that has been very welcoming to me and I walk over to their huts for meals usually once a day.  The diet consists of porridge (corn meal) usually river fish or some type of red meat, and some green veggies that are similar to collard greens/cooked spinach.  It is not terrible and I don’t enjoy eating it.  Food is only meant for sustenance here.   I am looking forward to cooking for myself and trying to experiment with limited ingredients.  I will write again later about “a day in the life of Lindsay” once I am more settled in here.  Right now, I am not officially teaching, although I might help out with a few English classes.  I have been siting around the staff room, observing other teacher’s classes, and reading.  This is the portion of service deemed “phase 2.” It is meant to be a transition phase.  I am pretty bored, but do not have a lot of energy to hit the ground running either.  I’m still adjusting to the heat!  I won’t have a full schedule until 1^st term begins in January.  It will be some combination of science and math classes, although I probably won’t find out for sure until January :o)  TIA (this is Africa.)

Well I’m going to go heat some water for a bath.  I take bucket baths outside in the privacy of my lapa (fence made of reeds.)  THANK GOODNESS aunt Karen and Uncle Dave loaned me their solar shower!  Otherwise, washing my hair would be a huge challenge!

Here is my new mailing address:

Lindsay O’Dell, PCV

PO Box 2236 Ngweze

Katima Mulilo, Namibia

This weekend, I was shopping and spending time in Katima.  Luckily, Celme and I found a nice internet cafe today with fairly high speed internet.  We purchased milkshakes and are relaxing and browsing.  There is a good possibility that when I come to town on the weekends, I'll be able to Skype with everyone! In the village I get very basic internet, usually just enough kbps to check my email from gmail.  I'm very relieved that I decent internet accessibility.  Maybe I can upgrade my posts to twice a month!!

Site Visit & More

Well I've been in Namibia for about 1 month and I like to say that I am currently living the luxury Peace Corps life.  The Central and Southern regions of Namibia are well developed with decent infrastructure, large cities, internet cafes, and other ammenties.  It is not readily apparent that we are living in Africa.  In the nice town of Okahandja we are going through Preservice Training (PST).  Language, safety, cross-cultural are the main topics, and sessions are usually interesting.  However, PST is also very draining because of long days and lots of information.  Also, on a positive note, I'm pleased to report that my host family here in Okahandja is awesome, couldn't have asked for better!!

Needless to say traveling to our permanent sites for a week was a much needed break from PST.  I am placed at Kanono Combined School in the Caprivi Region (far northeast corner of Namibia).  I am located ~50km from the large city of Katima Mulilo.  My school is located on a paved road and I have reliable internet access!! Here is a picture of my hut!  Unfortunately, I do not have electricity inside my hut, but I do have a gas stove and fridge. The school has electricity via generator.  My hut is located on the school grounds with other teacher huts.  I have 4 other volunteers who are all a n hour away from me or less.  My school (Kanono) is fairly small with pretty nice facilities.  There is one class of learners for each grade 1-10 for a grand total of 325 learners.  All of the staff seems friendly. 

To travel back to the training site of Okahandja we took a tourist charter bus overnight.  The trip was about 12 hours with stops.  On the way back to Katima from the village we were surprised by a family of elephants crossing the road!! It was so surreal!! 

I must say, I will soon be living in a pretty amazing place!

College Days...

Well, this is my first all-nighter since cramming for college exams so I don't have much brain power to write anything too exciting.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have wished me well over the last few days.  Of course I long for more time to spend with all of you, but now is the time to get this show on the road. :)  You're support, encouragement and faith has truly moved me and I will carry it close to my heart while I'm serving.  Please remember I'm only an email away! odell.lindsay.j@gmail.com

Here is my mailing address for now.  If it changes I will let you know!

Lindsay O'Dell, PCT
US Peace Corps/Namibia
P.O. Box 6862
Windhoek 9000
Namibia

Seven days

Now that I've reached the one week mark, I suppose it's about time to officially start a countdown to departure to Namibia.  I've been avoiding this to spare myself intense bouts of anxiety.  In fact, I remember confessing weeks ago that I could not even look at a calendar with a steady pulse.  Regardless, I'm ready to start embracing all the emotions that come with the onset of this journey, so I must start tallying the days!  

In approximately one month's time: I've cleaned house, advertised for a renter, donated many belongings, advertised some more, sorted clothing, worked on the yard, worked on the deck, showed my house, made plans to move, signed a lease, packed, loaded, stuffed and stored more belongings and furniture, made financial arrangements, resigned from my job, packed the car and drove to Michigan.  This list depicts the mentally and physically exhausting tasks of the month.  Without the gracious and limitless support of family and friends (you know who you are) I may not have made it out the door of North Anderson Street.  Bottomline: It is really tough to move.  I am relieved that all the "stuff" has finally found a temporary home, just in time I might add because I was ready to get rid of everything I owned!  During this process I remembered back to college days and one of my roommates reflecting on everything she owned was able to fit in the back of her mini-van.  Although, I don't meet that space criteria (compared to a 5x10 storage unit and boxes scattered at home) I still am really digging the idea of being mobile.  At this point my feet are much less rooted by stuff.

Fortunately, I was able to have my fair share of summer vacation fun during this past month.  Spending time with friends, lounging at the lake and relaxing at the creek were much needed breaks from the chaos of moving.  Even before I leave I still have lots of fun activities planned with special people.  My regret is that I won't be able to see everyone that I would have liked to before I go.  And as I write this the clock is ticking in the back of my mind and the anxiety lingers in my lungs, but I resolve to embrace and enjoy the moments I do have with those I love. 

I hope to be posting a few more updates before I leave.  Stay tuned for my mailing address and more info on what will be occurring once I'm in Namibia...

To: My Family

June 28, 2012

Dear Family Members,

I am writing to let you know of an exciting new adventure I will begin in less than one month.  I am moving to Africa, specifically the country of Namibia!  I have accepted a position as a Secondary Science teacher with the Peace Corps.  I am committed to 27 months of service.  I will depart from Detroit Metro at 9:30 am on Monday, July 23, 2012.

This is a letter I would have much preferred to write at least two months ago, however, unpredictable circumstances always seem to make life decisions more complicated.  In other words, I could not officially depart as a Peace Corps Volunteer until all of my financial obligations were fulfilled; for me, this was my mortgage.  Finding a lessee was more difficult than I originally anticipated, but luckily I signed a lease with a very nice woman this past Wednesday, and let out a huge sigh of relief!  Now, I will officially be able to depart for Namibia!  I believe that the worry and stress I felt over the struggles to find a renter truly signify my deep desire and anticipation to begin this new journey to Africa. 

The process leading up to this point began in April of 2011.  I officially applied to the Peace Corps and was interviewed in May of that year.  I had to complete a lengthy medical evaluation and then I had to wait.  I got notice from the Peace Corps that I would be receiving an invitation the beginning of February, and on my birthday, I received a packet in the mail inviting me to teach in Namibia.  I took a few weeks to think and then accepted the invitation.   At the same time, I was teaching at a new school and coaching JV Softball, so life was moving quickly with very little free time.  All the while I had the tug of this new endeavor in the back of my mind.  It was difficult to juggle all of the balls I had in the air this past spring.  But, finally, summer vacation arrived!  And I have spent the last few weeks relaxing, packing, and mentally preparing to leave my family and friends for two years. 

Many have asked, Lindsay, why in the world would you want to go into the Peace Corps and live in Africa?  I have no eloquent reply.  Choosing to be a Peace Corps volunteer is a path I envisioned for myself when I graduated from college.  Although, I suppose I needed a few more life lessons and some maturing to do before I would actually venture down that road.  I am proud that I have acquired some useful skills since college days; I now know how to teach.  I am thrilled to be able to use those skills in a new way and in a new place.  I want to challenge myself as an individual and as a teacher.  I want to live in a place with minimal Western influence.  I want to have the experience of a lifetime.  That is the simplest answer I can express.  I am not naïve enough to think that there are no risks to this path.  I already know that I will feel scared and lonely at times.  I already know that I will be living way outside of my comfort zone.  But, I anticipate that I will do some good while seeing the world in a new way.  In the end, I feel the rewards outweigh the risks.

I willing be heading to Michigan just after the 4^th of July and would love to see as many family members as I can.  My time is limited and I know I will not feasibly be able to visit with all of you.  Mom and I have talked about having a “going away” party in a few weeks.  We are hoping to schedule an evening the week of July 16^th in Port Huron.  I would love to give as many hugs goodbye as I possibly can.  We will let you know as soon as definite plans are arranged.  In the meantime, google Namibia, it’s a pretty neat country!  Dry and hot, yet, there are some cool tourist attractions(hint, hint)!!

Love,

Lindsay

Condensed Version

 I don't know a thing about blogging.  I don't like to write.  I've attempted to keep a journal twice in my life; I don't follow through.  However, the thought that I may only be able to keep in touch with my family and friends via the Internet for the next 30 months may prove it be enough motivation to keep this little blog going.

I'm calling this the condensed version because I don't want to form paragraphs.

I've been making lists lately.  I've made prioritized lists.  I've even made prioritized lists with deadlines.
Thus, I'm making a list of significant events over the last 9 years that have led me to a pivotal decision.  Maybe it's more of a timeline. :)

August 2003 - Enroll at Spring Arbor University.
Fall 2003 - Fun.
Spring 2004 - Love.
Summer 2004 - Summer fun & love.
August 2004 - Enroll in Ethan Morton-Jerome's Core 200 class.
November 2004 - Research Human Rights Issues
November 2004 - Present on Human Rights Issues, cry.
January 2005 - Take a 2nd Ethan Morton-Jerome class and audit a 3rd.
Fall 2006 - Do cool science stuff.
Spring 2006 - Present on cool science stuff.
May 2006 - Study abroad in Egypt.
May - July 2006 - Question lots of stuff.
October 2006 - Apply to George Washington University for Global Health.
October 2006 - Visit Rachel in DC.  Really like DC.
March 2007 - Accepted at GWU
May 2007 - Graduate with a Biology degree from SAU.
May 2007 - Decline acceptance to GWU.
June 2007 - Accept position in NC teaching science.
March 2008 - Buy a house.
Fall 2008 - Grow up a little.
Summer 2008 - Take teaching classes.
Spring 2009 - Coach softball
Spring 2010 - Become a fully licensed teacher.
Spring 2011 - RIF stress.
April 2011 - Apply to Peace Corps.
May 2011 - Interview for PC in DC.
Summer 2011 - Accept position in Catawba County.
November 2011 - Turn in medical paperwork for PC.
December 2011 - Know how to teach.
January 2012 - Accept position back in Burke County.
January 2012 - Volunteer to coach softball.
February 2012 - Final phone interview with PC.
February 17, 2012 - Happy 27th birthday to me.  Peace Corps invitation to serve as a secondary science           teacher in Namibia.
Spring 2012 - Coach softball and teach well.
July 25th, 2012 - Depart to Namibia for 27 months.

Wow, that's 9 years!
Holy shit, I have 77 days before the next 2.25 years begin!

I'll be making more lists, more lists......

ps. these lists include people I need to see before I leave ;)